The Mayor wants to align the duration of compensation for those over 55 with that of other unemployed people

Compensation for those over 55 extends for "27 months" compared to "18 months" for younger unemployed people, he noted on Franceinfo, a way according to him "to retire early the most 55 years old.

For Bruno Le Maire, "if we don't shake things up, there won't be a 5% unemployment rate" at the end of the five-year term, or full employment (compared to 7,4% today). “Something is wrong in the French social model” which prevents this from being achieved, according to him.

“One of the ways is through the employment of seniors,” underlined the minister.

“Would those over 55 be worth less? I see no reason for there to be a longer compensation period, it’s total hypocrisy, a way of putting them into retirement in advance,” he argued.

He recalled that the employment rate of seniors was “ten points” lower in France than the employment rate of all workers, which stands at 68%.

“Me, the message that I want to send them is + we need you, we need your experience +”, added Mr. Le Maire.

It is a question of "raising the debate" of a reduction in the duration of compensation for seniors "with the total determination to achieve this 5% unemployment rate which we have not reached for half a century in France,” he insisted.

He also judged the agreement on unemployment insurance signed last week by the social partners to be "perfectable", particularly on this issue of seniors.

Before the Senate in the afternoon, during the discussion on the Finance bill, Mr. Le Maire hoped “that companies assume all their responsibilities and stop explaining to seniors that they cost too much, and give them their rightful place.

“He said that, beyond the seniors index, we work together on other measures that would encourage companies to keep those over 55.”

Marine Le Pen, president of the National Rally group in the National Assembly, spoke out on X (ex-Twitter) against the measure proposed by the Minister of the Economy.

“Incapable of creating jobs and reviving the economy, @BrunoLeMaire now accuses seniors of being responsible for his failures, and wants to reduce their unemployment benefit period. We will oppose this news with the greatest vigor social breakdown announced!”, she wrote.

The CFE-CGC union simply quipped: "Everyone knows that it is very easy to find work after 55... The first discrimination in hiring is age."

On Franceinfo, Mr. Le Maire also criticized the financing measures which appear in the Unédic agreement concluded by the social partners, which according to him includes "certain expenses", such as reductions in contributions, compensated by "unlikely savings" .

“On the financial side, we can legitimately express doubts, I had the opportunity to explain this with the president of Medef,” concluded the minister.